Draw-bar.



S. W. BEESUN.

I DRAW BAR, APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 198.

Patented J an. 4, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

./4. l A \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\V/ s s. W. BEESON.

DRAW BAR.

FIL

Patelltd Jan. 4, 1910.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

SAMUEL W. BEESON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

DRAW-BAR.'

To all whom t may concem: i' Be it known -that I, SAMUEL W. BnEsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo,in the county of Erie and State of New- York, vhave invented a new and useful Improvement in Draw-Bars, of which the folowing is a specification.

The draw bars of railway cars now in common use are constructed in one-piece and so mounted on the car body and connected with the draft rigging thereof that the draw bar is only able to move laterally a comparatively small extent. After the lateral play has been exhausted while the car turns .a curve it produces not only an undue strain on the car body, vdraft riggingv and other parts but also causes the flanges of the car wheels to be crowded against the rails and wear unduly. Furthermore, draw bars having but slight lateral play cannot be coupled while the cars are standing on a curve and therefore necessitates-moving the cars upon a straight part of the track before the coupling of the same can be effected.

rlhe objectof this invention -is to produce a ointed draw bar which permits of a wider range of lateral movementso as to avoid the above mentioned objections7 which is as strong and durable as the one piece draw bars heretofore in use, and which is interchangeable with the draw bars' now in general use, so that no change is required in the standards of design which have been adopted by the railway authorities.

In the accompanying drawings consisting ofv two sheets: Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a draw bar andconnecting parts embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof in line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a cross section in line 3 3, Fig. l. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary perspectiveviews of parts of the draw bar showing the construction of the pivotal joint between the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. In carrying my invention into effect the body or shank of thedraw bar is divided into a front body section A and a rear body section B.` The front body section is provided at its front end with a coupler head C which may be of any suitable or well known construction and forms no part of this invention. In rear of the coupling head the front section of the Ydraw bar is guided in a stirrup i secured to the platform end-timber specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

Application .filed November 25, 1908. Serial No. 464,439.

or buffer-beam D,thehorizontal transverse opening in said vstirru being of sulicient length to permit the front section of the draw bar to swing laterally to the fullest extent afforded, by the joint between the same and the rear section of the draw bar.

v The rear draw bar section is connected with a draft rigging which may be ofany suitable construction that portion thereof shown in the drawings consisting of a tail strapl or. yokev having upper and lower bars E, E which are Secured lengthwise to the` upper and lower sides of the rear draw bar section by vertical rivets e, e, a tail block F secured centrally to the tail strap bars by a rivet f, follower plates g, g1, g2, g3 arranged .between the tail strap bars and engaging respectively with the rear end of the rear draw bar section, the rear cross piece z' of the tail strap. and the front and rear sides of the tail block, two buffer springs G, G1 one arranged between the plates g,"g2 and the other between the plates g1, g3, and hooks or lips j arranged on the front ends of the tail strap bars and engaging with notches or grooves 7c in the upper and lower sides of the rear draw bar section, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

The rear end lof the frontdraw bar secti'on is constructed to form an upright concave cylindrical face L of nearly one-half a circle and opposite this face is arranged a spherical member or. ball M which is connected with the rear end of the front draw bar section at the center of its cfflindrical face L by a narrow or contracten neck m which is preferably elongated in a horizontal direction, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.'

The rear section B of the draw bar is divided horizontally to form upper and lower parts b, b1 which are identical in construction and secured to eachother in 'the as- .sembled condition of the parts to form practically one piece. The front end of each part of the rear draw bar -section is constructed to form a vertical convex cylindrical face n which is adapted to it snugly into the corresponding part of the concave face L of the front draw bar section.v

On the inner side of each part of the rear draw bar section at its front end the same is provided with a semispherical socket sec-v tion 0 and a transversely elongated notch or recess o1 extending from the front side of the socket section to the central part of the convex face thereon. Whenthe two parts of the rear draw bar section are secured toceives the neck which connects the ball and the front draw bar section.

The upper and lower sides of the slot formed by the notches 01 are parallel so that they bear firmly against the upper and lower sides of the neck in all positions of the front body section relatively to the rear section.

The rivets which secure the tail strap to the rear draw bar section mayv serve as the sole means of connecting the upper and lower parts of the latter but if desired additional means may be used for this purpose such for instance as a vertical rivet or pin which extend centrally through the socket parts of the rear draw bar section and the spherical member or ball between the same.

The ball'M litsy snugly in the socket o and the upper and lower sides of the slot formed by the notches 0l bear against the upper and lower sides of the neck but the length of this slot is greater than the width of the neck so as toprovide lateral clearance between the same and the neck to permit of turning the front body section relative to the rear body section. The convex and concave faces of the draw bar sections and the spherical faces of the ball and socket are all concentric so that upon turning the front body section at an angle on the rear body section the yspherical aiid cylindrical joints between the bod-1v sections will always be tight and enable the draw bar to take up any pushing or buliting strains regardless of the angular position of the front body section relatively tothe rear If the front body section isstruck by anA upward or downward blow displacement of the same is prevented by the concave face of the front section bearing against the upper orlower end of the convex face of the rear body section, also by the 4 neck bearing against the upper or lower side of the trans` verse slot in the rear body section and also by the spherical member or ball engaging .the rivet on the rear body section.

Owin to the spherical form of the ball and the socket which receives the same any pulling or butng strains to which the draw bar is subjected are distributed uniformly over the surfaces of this ball and socket joint thereby insuring the same against failure under the severest strains which are liable to occur. Inasmuch as the pressure of the ball is exerted in all directions against the socket there is little if any tendency to spread the two parts of the rear body section. The rivet or pin p could therefore be omitted if desired but it is preferable to em- 'ploy the saine because by its use the parts of the draw bar are held in an assembled condition which permits of shipping the same more conveniently and it also strengthens the rear body section of the draw bar and also aids in preventing the front swinging in any other except a horizontal direction. l

By the use of this draw bar the coupling heads are enabled to swing laterally a much greater distance on the car body than has been possible heretofore, thereby enabling without an undue strain on the cai' body and the draft rigging. Furthermore a saving is effected in the wear on the wheel lianges and also in the power necessary for propelling -the cars. Owing to this joint in the draw bar it is possible to couple and uncouple the cars as readily on a curve as on a straight track and it also lessons the liability of the uncoupling while the cars pass. around short curves. All of these advantages are obtained in this improved jointed draw bar without weakening the same inasmuch as the saine amount of tensile strength is maintained in the neck of the spherical ball as in the cross section of an ordinary draw head. Its interchangeability with other coupler draw bars of Master Car Builders dimensions permits of introducing the same gradually on the various railway cars and avoids the necessity of discarding the couplers now in use before they are worn out.

I claim as my invention:

l. A draw bar comprising two sections one of which .has a concave cylindrical face and a ball arranged concentrically with said concave face and connected therewith by a contracted neck, and the other section having a convex cylindrical. face adapted to engage Awith said concave face, a i spherical socket which completely incloses said ball and bears with its bottoni against the crown of said ball, and an opening extending from said socket to said convex face and receiving said neck.

2. A draw 'bar comprising two sections one of which has a concave cylindrical face and a ball arranged conceiitrically with said concave face and connected therewith by a. contracted neck, and the other section having a convex cylindrical face adapted to engage with said concave face, a spherical ,socket which. completely incloses said ball and bears with its bottom against the crown of said ball, and an opening extending from said socket to saidconvex face and receiving said neck, said socket section being divided lengthwise and centrally through its socket 'the cars to pass around curves easily and iio and opening, means for connecting said socket sections adjacent to the socket -between them, and a pin connecting the socket sections andk extending through said socket and-ball concentrically'with said convex and concave cylindrical faces. A

A draw bar comprlslngV front and rear body sections, one of said sections having a concave cylindrical face, a ball and a reduced neck which connects s aid ball with the central part of 'said concave face, and the i* other bodysection having a convex cylindrical 'face which engages said concave face,

l a spherical socket whichreceives said ball,

nected with a draft riggingsaid frontleody p section having aconcave cylindrical face at its rear end, a ball arranged in rear of said .concave face and concentrically therewith p and a reduced neck which connects saidball. with 'said front body section at the center of its concave face, and said rear bodysection having upper and llower parts which are constructed on their opposing inner sides to `form aspherical socket which receives said ball anda transverse slot having parallel upper and lower sides which engage with the upper and lower sides of said neck while their Y corresponding front ends are constructedrto form a convex cylindrical face. which engages said concave cylindrical face.

v5. A. draw bar' comprisingv al front body section adapted' to carry a coupling head and a rear body section adapted to be connected witha draftrigging, said front body section having a concave cylindrical face at its rear end, a concentric ball arranged in rear of said concave face and a reduced neckl which connects said ball with said front bodyr section at the center of its concave cylindrical face, and said rear body section having up-l per and lower parts which are constructedy on their opposing inner sides to forni al spherical socket which receives said ballv and a transverseslot having parallel upper and lower sides which engage with the` upper and lower sides of saidneck while their corresponding front ends areV constructed to form a convex cylindrical face Awhic'h"engages said concave cylindrical facefand a vertical pin .on rivet passing through the parts of the rear body section and said ball.v 'concentrically with said cylindrical faces.

Witness my hand this 23 day' of November, 1908. s

' SAMUEL w. Benson;

, Witnesses:

HILARIA KNEIS, GRovER KNEIS. 

